Min Yugeon was simply waiting for the day Min Sanghan would arrange another meeting with Seo Suho’s parents. Ever since he had returned from an outing with his father, his excitement had been impossible for Lee Minha to miss. Naturally curious, she had immediately questioned him.
“You said his name was Suho, right? The kid you met when you went out with Dad last time?”
Munching on a snack, Min Yugeon answered casually.
“Yeah. Seo Suho.”
“Seems like you want to see him again.”
“……”
The chubby cheeks that had been moving nonstop suddenly froze. Then, when he met Lee Minha’s eyes, his flushed face gave a shy little nod.
“Suho’s pretty, really handsome… and also cool and cute.”
He seemed to be listing every compliment he knew. Lee Minha’s eyes widened in amusement.
“Really? He must be quite something.”
Then she murmured with a barely contained smile. My son, already… Well, what does age matter when it comes to love at first sight? She gently patted Min Yugeon’s head, and he continued speaking enthusiastically.
“He likes reading books and solving quizzes for fun. He says he wants to be like his parents when he grows up. Oh, and Suho said his parents do the same kind of work as our dad.”
“Suho’s parents…”
Knowing exactly who Min Sanghan had taken Min Yugeon to meet, Lee Minha smiled.
“I know them too. They came to our wedding, remember?”
Then she fell silent, momentarily lost in thought. A torrent of emotions passed over her face as Min Yugeon watched her quietly.
Recently, the cold war between Lee Minha and Min Sanghan seemed to be drawing to a close. As always, it ended with Lee Minha resigning herself to her husband’s unchanging demeanor. And as her hopes in Min Sanghan faded, she poured more love into Min Yugeon, doing everything she could to make sure her child never felt the absence of a father’s affection.
But despite her efforts, there were still times when her weariness showed. And in those moments, Min Yugeon, by pure instinct, would feel worry and unease. Even as he played and laughed energetically, he often held his breath, constantly glancing at his mother to read her mood.
“Heeseo-ssi, have you been well?”
– Minha-ssi?
Before long, Lee Minha herself reached out to Seo Suho’s parents. Partly for her son, who had clearly taken a strong liking to Suho and wanted to see him again, but also because she found herself genuinely curious about how the couple was doing. Judging by Min Sanghan’s jealousy and the stories from their child, they seemed to be managing both work and parenting admirably. And above all, she remembered them as good people and wanted to see their faces again after all this time.
The couple warmly welcomed her call. They even invited her and Yugeon to their home, saying the kids would probably enjoy playing together. Grateful, Minha accepted with a bright smile, bringing Min Yugeon along.
When Min Sanghan later found out, he grumbled about why she hadn’t discussed it with him first, and then flatly declared that he would be going too. Thinking it would be odd to refuse her husband when they were visiting his friends, Minha didn’t object.
Before visiting Seo Suho’s house, Min Yugeon insisted on buying a present for Suho. After some convincing, he persuaded both parents to stop by a toy store on the way. Though the spaceship prioritized utility and efficiency, they had permitted the operation of one toy store to support the emotional well-being and happiness of young children. After much thought, Min Yugeon chose a cube puzzle as a gift, remembering that Suho liked quizzes.
After getting the cube, Min Yugeon’s eyes drifted toward a specific display. Every time he visited a toy store, it had stolen his attention—the spaceship model assembly set.
“Is that the one you want?”
Min Sanghan, who had come in with him, asked. Min Yugeon looked up at him with sparkling eyes and nodded eagerly.
“I really want it!”
“If you get a perfect score on the post-enrollment evaluation, I’ll buy it for you.”
“…Huh?”
Disappointment washed over him. His little shoulders drooped. Even the store owner looked at him with pity, but Min Sanghan paid it no mind and finished paying for the cube.
When Lee Minha, who had been out buying a gift for the adults, rejoined them, she saw Min Yugeon dragging his feet and frowned in confusion. When she asked why he was upset, he forced a smile and shook his head.
The gloomy mood melted away like snow as soon as he saw Seo Suho. After a shy greeting, the two boys went into Suho’s room to spend time together. The bookshelf in the room was packed with books, most of them about monsters. To Min Yugeon, they looked incredibly complex and grotesque, and even flipping through a few pages made his head spin.
“It’s a present.”
Min Yugeon handed the cube to Suho, who had been eyeing the item he was hugging to his chest. His eyes sparkled with joyful anticipation.
“For me?”
A look of surprise spread across Suho’s normally calm face. When he thanked him and took the cube, Min Yugeon grinned proudly. Especially after learning it was the first time Suho had ever received a gift from someone other than his parents, he felt an immense sense of pride.
But that bliss didn’t last. After a little while, the pleasant mood abruptly soured.
It happened during the mealtime when both families had gathered.
“When did I ever say I was jealous?”
“……”
“Why would you say it like that?”
Min Sanghan flushed red and retorted at Lee Minha in a raised voice. Minha, chewing her food slowly, stared at him with a look that made it clear she found him utterly ridiculous. Everyone at the table glanced back and forth between the two, too stunned to speak.
Just moments ago, the atmosphere had been bright and cheerful, filled with laughter and chatter—yet now, it felt like that had all been a lie. A heavy silence settled over the room. Min Yugeon stared blankly at his parents. Though he had grown used to this kind of scene, it never became any easier to face, and unease began to rise inside him. At home, situations like this were usually the prelude to a full-blown shouting match.
“……!”
Anxious and on edge, Min Yugeon suddenly locked eyes with Seo Suho. Suho’s small face was tightly furrowed in concern. His gaze, serious and mature beyond his years, radiated quiet worry. Feeling that gaze, Yugeon instinctively lowered his head.
A sharp pang of envy began to bud deep within his chest. Seo Suho’s parents seemed like the kind of couple who probably never even argued. They clearly adored each other, and they loved Suho deeply and unconditionally. Unlike Yugeon’s own home, where bursts of fury and icy silence often swept through, Suho’s house felt warm and comforting the moment he stepped inside.
“……Ah. Right. When things go well for others, you’re supposed to be happy for them.”
Maybe it was the awareness that they were in someone else’s home, but fortunately, the tension between Min Sanghan and Lee Minha didn’t erupt into a fight. Somehow, the situation was patched up, but the adults’ smiles still had a stiff edge.
After the meal, Min Yugeon glanced at Seo Suho, who had subtly attached himself to his side, and impulsively extended his pinky finger.
“Seo Suho. You have to promise you’ll come see me again.”
Seo Suho stared at the finger in silence. His expression showed clear confusion about why something like this even required a promise. After all, for either of them to meet again, the adults had to make it happen. And today, judging from the atmosphere, that didn’t seem likely anytime soon. Yugeon was uneasy. Not knowing when they might meet again, he felt like he needed this promise—however meaningless—just to calm his nerves. He forced a smile and wiggled his pinky in the air. Before long, Suho quietly hooked his own pinky around it.
Once they stepped out of Suho’s home, a cold silence immediately followed. Yugeon kept his lips tightly shut and walked, clutching Lee Minha’s hand. As they stepped off the train and approached home, his chest thumped with nervous anticipation.
“Yugeon, go to your room.”
Sure enough, the moment they stepped through the front door, Minha gave his shoulder a gentle push. Yugeon turned back to look at her with trembling eyes, but he stayed put. He was afraid. If they sent him away and started arguing, what if Min Sanghan threw something again and hurt Minha, like last time? Last time, he’d been so startled and scared that he’d just run straight to his room and holed up inside. But today, he didn’t want to do that.
“Mom…”
“Go on.”
But Lee Minha remained firm and pushed him again, stopping Sanghan with a raised hand just as he looked about to explode with words.
“……”
Watching the two of them silently, Yugeon finally turned and trudged toward his room. Behind him, Min Sanghan let out a long sigh, the sound heavy with the effort of holding back rage.
Once inside his room, Yugeon closed the door. It wasn’t long before the shouting began. Even with the door shut, he could hear every word clearly—it was coming from the living room.
“What the hell was I supposed to do when you said that? Think before you talk!”
“Did I say anything that wasn’t true?”
“What?!”
“If you were embarrassed, that’s on you. You always act one way and talk another—of course you ended up flustered. Don’t take that out on me.”
Minha’s voice cut sharp and cold.
Min Sanghan went silent, maybe because he didn’t have anything to say. But only for a moment. Then his voice returned, even louder, seething with anger.
Yugeon curled up on the floor. The door vibrated faintly from the force of Sanghan’s yelling.
